Semi Lucky
by TeamHarry95
Summary: Saving each others' lives creates a form of bond, I guess; A Derek and Stiles Bromance, what more can I really say? Rated T for mild violence and swearing. NOT Slash. Unless you want to interpret it that way. Set early on. Please review, and enjoy!
1. Well This Sucks

Teen Wolf - Semi-Lucky

Disclaimer - I own nothing, blah blah blah.

Chapter 1

Stiles' P.O.V.

I had driven the entire way back to my house when I realized I'd left my phone at the field after our game. Great. Just great. It was already frickin' pitch black outside, for Pete's sake. Groaning, I jumped back into my jeep and headed towards the school.

Overall, it had been a good night. I had been in a good mood. But I, better than anyone, should know that something always comes along and screws anything awesome up. You're probably thinking, 'He's being kinda dramatic for just having to go back and get his phone; there are worse things. Like getting eaten by the Alpha, for example.', right?

Well, just wait until you hear the rest of the story.

Pulling into the dark parking lot, I sighed with relief at the sight of the still lit up field. I checked there first, but my phone wasn't on the sidelines or under the bleachers. I thought I'd check the change rooms next, so I turned around and walked towards them. Suddenly, as I was in the exact middle of the field, the bright lights shut off.

Hilarious Event, numero uno:

If I hadn't been scared out of mind, I would've thought the impeccable timing and level of dramaticness was kinda cool. Instead, I shivered and reached for my pocket, desperate for the dim glow of my phone.

Then I remembered why I was even at the school, so late at night. I said a few choice words that my dad might've had someone arrested for, for public disturbance or something. _Ah well_, I remember thinking, _it's not like anyone else was around to hear that_.

I blindly stumbled my way back to the parking lot, mentally thanking myself for using the parking spot that was closest to the field. I clicked the unlock button on my keys and saw my headlights flashing. I practically ran there, sort of wanting to go home, where there was light. And warmth. And Dad.

Then two bright lights abruptly turned on about 20 meters away from me. Shielding my eyes from the blinding whiteness, I felt around until my hand came in contact with the hood of my jeep beside me. Who the hell uses their fog lights in a parking lot, when someone is clearly standing in front of them?

After what seemed an eternity of me being awkwardly afraid of this stranger in a car who wasn't doing anything scary, just chillin' with his headlights on, a figure stepped out from the driver's side and walked forward. He was big. I let out a quiet 'eep'.

"Whatcha doin' here so late at night, kid?" He called out. I opened my mouth but no sound came out. Damn, I had always told myself that I wouldn't be one of those lame guys who loses their voice in the face of fear. I'm not sure where I got the courage from to say these next few words, but I guess they could've been chosen a little better. "I could say the same for you, adult." I guessed it was better than just standing there, looking like a speechless idiot.

…No, I really should have just kept my mouth shut.

Hilarious Event, number 2:

Two more guys emerged from the car, as the main guy chuckled. "A comedian." He said to his buddies.

It was a lot scarier than I would've expected it to be, the way they were positioned; the tall talker front and centre, the two flanks on either side of him. It was like your typical scary-action movie scene, (I had always dreamed of being in one) but right then I wished I had been in the audience rather than playing a part. "It's not me that I want to discuss, Stiles."

I turned 'Sherriff's Son' mode on. Okay, so he knew my name. This was personal. Since I couldn't see his features, other than that he was tall and strong, I tried voice recognition but I couldn't place it.

"Let's focus on you. You want to know why I think you came to the school at this hour? I really doubt it was to catch up on homework. Perhaps you were looking for this…" He held up my phone.

Now _this_ is the part where I look like an idiot.

"Wha-, how? Why? Wh-who?"

He chuckled darkly again, giving me the heebie jeebies. "You are familiar with Allison Argent, yes?"

I nodded. I opened my eyes a little wider, trying to make out who this guy was, but the lights were too bright. I remember wishing I had sunglasses with me, and then smiling on the inside with the irony of needing sunglasses at 11 p.m.

Tall Guy continued. "Well you see, we are familiar with her father, and he has asked us to keep an eye on your friend, Scott McCall. It seems Scott has done some things that have led Chris to believe that he isn't just a regular teenage boy. It also seems that wherever he goes, you go. So when, today, I happened to stumble upon this in the pocket of your gym bag back in the change rooms while looking for McCall's stuff, I took it, hoping you would come back here searching for it, where we could …question you, for lack of a better word, about Scott. I also looked through it to see what kind of things you and your little friend have been talking to each other about. I hope you don't mind." He sounded like he really didn't give a damn whether I minded or not.

"Who the hell do you think you are, going through my personal stuff? You had no right, man." I could sense the danger, so I'm really not sure why I kept pushing my luck (or un-luck, more like), with all the remarks.

The main guy took a few steps towards me and I tried to step backwards, but I was pressed flat against my jeep. I had never felt so trapped in my life.

"Do you _honestly _think I care that you feel invaded? Look, there's no real reason for you to get hurt here. Just tell us where we can find McCall, and you can have your phone back and forget that this ever happened."

"Yeah, over my dead body." I cringed at my sarcasm. "Oh, and I hope you had a pleasant time fishing through my smelly gym bag." Why, Stiles, why?

Side note - I really need to teach myself how not to use sarcasm in certain situations. Situations where my life is being threatened, for example.

"If that's the way you prefer it…."

Hilarious Event, number 3:

I remember all three guys came right at me at once. Being my ever-so-clumsy self, I tripped in a rushed attempt to run away and fell to the ground. Rough hands grabbed the collar of my shirt and slammed me against my jeep, making a dent in the door.

Another side note- Now really, what has my jeep ever done to anyone? Sheesh.

One guy flipped me over while another punched me square in the jaw. Argghhhh…that hurt.

Shit, I remember one time thinking it would be cool to get into a fight…I guess I had imagined me being able to fight back, without my arms pinned, against one guy, my size, when I could actually see him.

I tasted blood from my split lip and swung my arm out in a feeble attempt to defend myself. My fist connected with something hard and I heard someone let out a groan. I actually smiled amongst the fear and pain, knowing I had momentarily incapacitated one of the bad guys. …Too bad no one was there to see it. Or maybe save me.

And a big emphasis on the 'momentarily' part…

One second later, two fists punched me in the stomach at the same time and I doubled over.

"Still not willing to co-operate, punk?" One asked.

"You guys think you're so tough, huh?" I spat, sounding a lot more courageous than I felt. "Three against one, and I'm only sixteen. Bunch o' cowards, if you ask me." And my small ray of hope vanished, realizing that I could actually die here, and it might have been because I was too sarcastic for these assholes' liking.

A+ for Stiles.

In return for that, I was kicked right to the ground. I heard a crunch, and really hoped it had come from one of the attackers, instead of myself. Somehow, I had this sick feeling that the crunch had come from my head slamming into the ground.

Concrete doesn't taste very good, for the record.

Just when I was about to get up and try to run away again, I heard a yell and a 'bonk' and several swear words. I had no idea what was going on, until the action was brought in front of me.

It was still quite dark, but I made out another big silhouette beating the absolute crap out of one of the enemies. He was a little shorter than the other three but definitely stronger. From what I could tell, there was one unconscious guy laying on the ground, another, the Tall Guy, fighting my rescuer, and the last one trying feebly to stand up again; he must've been dizzy, the way he was staggering.

I felt pretty dizzy too. And my head was pounding.

I remember seeing the drunken-looking flank finally stand up and run zig-zaggedly towards whoever had come to help me.

"Look out…" I warned him, louder than I thought I'd be able to. Black spots blocked my line of vision. I heard ringing in my ears and then colourful spots joined the black ones. I lay flat on my back, giving up on trying to watch the fight behind me. My whole body felt numb now, which I appreciated instead of brutal pain.

I wondered if this was what a drug trip was like. If it was, I made a promise to myself to never try drugs, ever.

Lifting my hand, I felt something sticky running down the side of my face. For as long as I can remember, I don't do well with blood; someone else's or my own.

And then I passed out.

What a night.


	2. Confusion Before More Confusion

Semi-Lucky

Confusion Before More Confusion

Disclaimer - I own nothing, blah blah blah.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

**STILES' P.O.V.**

Good Lord, I had never had a headache this bad. I wondered if I had a hangover. And what was that strange rumbling noise? What that my stomach? I wondered when the last time I ate was. Oh well. It was time to wake up from my little nap and eat a sandwich. Or maybe some steak. Yeah, steak sounded pretty good.

I opened my eyes and saw a ceiling that was not that of my bedroom, nor a school classroom, nor Scott's room, which were the only areas I could think of that I might fall asleep in.

And I was in a moving vehicle. A crappy vehicle by the sounds of it wheezing. I was also lying down in the backseat. Weird.

I soon recognized the not-so-smooth roar of my own jeep's engine and quickly sat up, wondering why I wasn't the one driving it, but the blood rushed to my head and my vision clouded again. Again? Yeah…I had been this dizzy before, recently. When, and why?

And then I vaguely remembered the events that had taken place at the school.

Well, shit! Was I dead?

"Lie down, Stiles." My head whipped to the front and I saw Derek, driving my jeep, with a black eye and a few cuts on his face.

What the hell?

"Woah…what's going on? Why is your face all busted up?" I thought it was a legit question. Apparently not. Derek reached back with one arm and shoved my shoulder down so I was once again lying on my back. "I said 'lie down'. You have a concussion, not to mention that your head is bleeding all over your interior."

I twisted around fearfully and saw a dark red pool sinking into the material beneath where my head had been a second ago. I groaned loudly and then felt my head. Sure enough, there was partially dried blood down the side of my face, and in my hair. Gross. I wondered how long it would take to get the blood out of my seats.

Suddenly I felt sick, even sicker than when I used to see Lydia and Jackson making out….

"Pull over!"

Derek swerved to the side of the road surprisingly smoothly, since he had turned around to look at me with, was that concern?, on his face. I didn't exactly have the time to figure out whether it was concern or disgust or anger or hatred…. Who knew, with this guy?

Before we had even made a complete stop, I hopped out of the side door and promptly puked onto the leaves. After a minute or two of disgustingness, I stood up straight again and looked around. We were on some path in the middle of the forest.

No, I lied. I was in the middle of the forest, and Derek was nowhere to be seen.

I walked around the jeep, and forced my eyes to see as far as they could into the distance of the forest. "Derek?" I called. No answer. I peered into my jeep windows and he wasn't there either. "If this is some sort of practical joke, it's not funny. You know how much I hate the woods. And the dark. And anything creepy." Still nothing. "And if you didn't know that, well, now you do, so you can just come out of your little hiding spot and turn the car lights on again, cuz it's frickin' dark out here.…"

Absolute silence.

"Okay. Cool, no big deal. I'll just chill all alone tonight in the dark forest. Full of werewolves. With a possible concussion. Don't worry about me."

Well this was just fantastic.

Shivering, I went back to my jeep, praying that the keys would still be in it and I could ditch this place, but the doors were locked. I swore loudly and punched a tree. Not smart, Stiles. Who knew trees were so sturdy?

I swore once again in pain, nursing my sore knuckles.

To top it all off, my head was still in agonizing pain.

Then I slid down the side of my jeep until I was sitting down and closed my eyes, trying to formulate a plan.

What were my options?

1) Run around blindly until possibly reaching the edge of this giant forest.

But I would most likely trip over a root and get a double concussion, if that was even a thing. Also, with my luck, my jeep would probably be scratched up by animals and then sprayed by a skunk.

2) Break into my own jeep and hotwire it.

But I didn't know how to hotwire a car, nor get into my locked jeep. Breaking glass with your elbow doesn't actually work, unless you're the Hulk.

3) Sit here until Derek decides to comes back or someone else comes along to help me.

But that someone else could be an axe murderer. Or a skunk.

In defeat, I put my head in my hands and started to panic. Especially when I heard footsteps, kinda close to where I was sitting. Then they stopped, and I held my breath, eyes shut extremely tight.

"Here."

I fell sideways onto the mud and leaves…spastically, you could say. Looking up, I saw the moon-illuminated form of none other than Derek himself.

"What the hell, man? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I clutched my chest and took a deep breath, then got to my feet slowly. 'Slowly', only because my head still killed, as did my ribs, but I didn't want to show pain in front of Derek, who never happened to show pain himself. Despite my efforts, he noticed. "Stop moving so much, it will only slow your recovery."

I ignored him and stood fully straight. "I thought you were those goons who practically jumped me in the school parking lot. Holy crap…" I said, putting a hand to my head and leaning back against my car door. Flashbacks of the night's events invaded my memory, with a force like a blow to the gut. Another blow, I should say…

And in addition to my several throbbing body parts, I needed a bit of support from my jeep.

I remembered just exactly how frickin' scary it all was, and wondered how I had managed to escape.

There was a guy who had come to my rescue after the beating…and had kicked the crap out of the other three…and must've put me into my jeep. He then continued to drive it in the shortcut through the woods, that he knew well, on the way back to my house.

I stared up at Derek in awe, putting the twisted and confusing puzzle pieces together. "You, how? What the…?" I sputtered, pointing at him. He just stared back, saying nothing.

Noting the awkwardness, I dropped my arm and coughed, kinda lamely.

Then I realized that Derek had said 'here' before, and I squinted through the darkness to see what he was holding out to me.

"Where did you go just now? …And whaddya mean, 'here'?"

"This will ease your headache." He walked closer and threw a wet piece of cloth at me.

"Oh." I looked at it warily, still confused and skeptical of the sorts of remedies that werewolves used.

"It's just water. Put it on your head." Derek ordered, as if he had read my mind.

"Yes, mom." I mumbled just loudly enough for his heightened senses to pick up, and pressed the cloth against my temple, where the pain seemed to be radiating from. It soothed the pain pretty quickly, actually. So I thought I'd start up with my questions again. "Where'd the water come from? And the cloth? And what even happened tonight? Why are you here, where are we going, and seriously dude, what happened to your face?"

"I think I liked you better when you were unconscious. Get in the car, I'll explain what I can on the way to your house."

Eager to understand this whole situation better, I jogged to the driver's side and reached for the handle, when I felt a firm hand pulling my shoulder back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Derek asked.

"Um, getting in my car. What does it look like?"

He shook his head. "You have a concussion, idiot. Want to get us both killed? Get in the back."

"Oh please, let me have some dignity. …Passenger's seat."

I practically felt Derek roll his eyes in the darkness, but he didn't protest, so I went around and got in on the other side.

Once Derek had slammed the car door, he looked at me wearily before revving the engine.

And he began. "The water came from the stream a few miles away. The cloth came from your very own t-shirt."

I glanced down to see that a strip had been torn off the bottom of my plaid shirt and groaned.

"Dude, this is one of my favourite shirts…"

"You're the one who wanted answers. If I hadn't told you that, you would've never noticed."

"…fair point. Keep going."

"As for what happened tonight, well, I was hoping you could help me out with that part. I was going for my night run and heard four hearts pumping much louder than normal, so I followed my senses to the school parking lot and found you, getting attacked by three men."

"Yeah, and then I got knocked out and woke up here. Wait, did you say 'night run'? As in, running….at night time?"

Derek glared at me. "Not all of us are afraid of absolutely everything."

"Hey, that was rude. All I'm saying is that I'm impressed you didn't trip over a root and get a concussion. Or get sprayed by a skunk."

He ignored my last comment and started up with his own questions. "What were you doing at the school so late?""Looking for my phone. Thought I'd left it there after the game, but turns out the big dude had it."

"What? Why would he have your phone?"

"He said he'd found it while looking for Scott's stuff in our change rooms, while we were playing lacrosse."

Derek furrowed his brow but pressed on. "You should be more cautious, Stiles. Those men? They're hunters, and you don't know the kinds of tactics they will use on anyone that they think might be in association with werewolves. You need to watch your back at all times, as well as Scott's, because he's looking out for you too.""Okay, I'm sorry. Man, associating myself with werewolves…sounds so cool, huh?" I smiled for what felt like the first time in ages, but it quickly turned to a frown when I realized, "And I STILL didn't get my phone back!" I mentally cursed myself. It seemed I had been doing that a lot in the last hour or so.

"Here." Derek said once again. He reached in his pocket and tossed my phone at me.

"What? NO way, man! Are you serious? Thank you, Derek! Oh my God how I thought it was gone for good."

He shrugged. "It basically fell into my hand when I punched the guy holding it. I have more questions, so shut up and listen. What did they ask you about Scott? And what did you tell them?"

Turns out I didn't hear him the first time, because I was making sure everything still worked on my phone and looking through texts to see what the thugs might've read.

Derek snatched my phone out of my hands and held it out the open window. "Answer my questions Stiles! They are more important than your stupid phone."

"Okay, don't freak out!" I think my voice squeaked, just a little bit. "Just, bring the phone back inside the jeep, nice and slow, and I'll leave it alone and answer all your frickin' questions."

He stared at me for a moment doubtfully, but finally brought my phone back and put it between the two seats. I did a silent prayer of thanks.

"Did they question you about Scott?"

I wracked my brain, trying to remember these seemingly insignificant details. "Yeah. But all they wanted me to say was where they could find him. That's it. And no, I didn't tell them. I would never betray my best friend like that. …Although I don't know why Allison's dad wouldn't just give them Scott's address. It'd have saved me a hell of a lot of pain." I snorted, which hurt my ribs, but on the inside I was actually really worried that they would find Scott.

Derek nodded. "They won't know where to look because Argent won't tell them Scott's address. It would give his whole family away if they knocked on Scott's door, and he turned into a wolf, and his Mom or another eyewitness saw. Don't worry, Scott's safe at his home. If he was alone at the school after dark, however, that'd be another story…"

Derek looked at me accusingly.

"I get it, I get it. Have Scott's back, and he'll have mine. I said I was sorry! And why am I even apologizing to you? I'm the one who got a beating. I should really apologize to myself."

The minute of silence was strange after so many questions. Then I came up with another one. "So, did you…kill those guys?"

"No. But they are all unconscious with broken limbs."

I whistled low. "I guess it's time to thank you for saving my ass."

We pulled into my house. "This is you."

"Well I'll just wait here 'til you accept my gratitude, because my Dad is gonna kill me, and I don't really feel like facing him right now."

"Forget it. I didn't save your ass, you still got the worse end of things. Just go see a doctor in the morning. And I don't hear anyone inside your house. Your Dad must still be at work, so you can get yourself cleaned up before he comes home."I was relieved to know that my Dad wasn't out searching for me, and that he wouldn't see me covered in blood. At the same time though, I wished he would be home to comfort me. Or so I could give him a blow-by-blow account of the night and he could go arrest those guys.

"Well I'm no doctor, but you look like shit." I grinned, trying to make this more lighthearted, but a pained look crossed Derek's eyes.

"I'm fine." He said.

Somehow, I got this feeling that that was his answer to everything, regardless of whether or not he was really fine. I sighed, "No, Derek. This is the part where you say 'you should've seen the other guys!' and we both laugh and you go home."

He just stared blankly straight ahead.

"Okay…Look, I won't make you ever save my life again. I really am sorry you got beat up for me." And then I got out the side door but paused before slamming it shut. "Um, this is actually my vehicle, so…" I stated nodded once and exited the driver's side.

"Thanks." I mumbled. Walking around to the door of my house, I noticed that Derek was just standing in my driveway, hands in pockets.

"Uhh, you need something? Not trying to sound ungrateful or anything, but you look kinda creepy right now…"

"I'm sorry."

Okay, what? This was not right. The hero doesn't apologize to the victim, what was going on here?"Sorry? For what?"

"Sorry that I didn't get there sooner, to prevent the worst of things."

"Derek, don't be an idiot. If you hadn't showed up, they would've killed me for sure. But here I am, quite alive, and rather glad to be. Concussions go away, as do scratches. I'm gonna be fine."

He looked at me and sighed. "I know. I still feel bad, though. Which is strange, considering how much you annoy me."

I grinned. "There you go. I thought you were going crazy for a second. Now listen to me. Thank you, for everything. Even if you don't accept it, I needed to say it. So there. Now go home." I turned around and unlocked the door.

"You're welcome, then. Oh and Stiles…" I turned back around to face him. "You really should have seen the other guys." He shrugged.

I laughed. "Get out of here, man."

Derek stared at me incredulously. "Don't call me 'man'; this doesn't make us buddies or anything. You still fear me."

I arched an eyebrow, pretending I didn't agree with him, then actually thought for a second and replied, "True…would you prefer 'Powerful and Vicious Werewolf of the Night"? Or how about, 'Almighty Derek, the Feared One'?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I, unlike those hunters, will actually succeed in killing you if you call me anything but 'Derek', understand?"

I cringed and nodded, imagining the pain.

"…Idiot." he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. And with that, he turned and started running towards the forest with his strange, werewolf speed.

One of these days, Derek was gonna stop hating me. And I was gonna stop fearing him…but can you really blame me? He's just a naturally terrifying guy.

I rolled my eyes, closed the front door behind me and flicked on the lights. Then I went in my bathroom to check out my face in the mirror.

Nice, I looked kinda tough. I smiled but it quickly turned into a frown.

My Dad was definitely going to kill me.


	3. Nice, But He Still Annoys Me

Semi-Lucky

Nice, But He Still Annoys Me

Disclaimer - I own nothing, blah blah blah.

Chapter 3

**DEREK'S P.O.V.**

**I sensed, rather than heard, him at first. **

**I had no idea why he had come here. I recently discovered that he was terrified of the woods.**

**If he had been aiming for a stealth approach, he'd failed; I could hear his deep breaths, pacing feet and constant reminders of "Why am I so scared? Derek isn't such a tough guy…who am I kidding, the guy could break me in half if he wanted to. No, pull it together, Stiles, you're braver than this…", as if he were in my room with me. He was debating whether or not to come inside. It was rather amusing, actually, hearing him hold his breath, ready to knock, then drop his fist dejectedly and thump down the stairs onto the leaves, then turn around and walk back yet again, only to stop in his tracks, too afraid.**

**Typical.**

**Finally, after five minutes of arguing with himself, Stiles opened my front door and said, "Derek? Don't pretend you're not home, because I saw you go inside like, 15 minutes ago."**

**He'd actually hidden in the forest waiting for some courage to show up? What a pansy. I rolled my eyes and remained lying on my bed, hands resting under my head comfortably. **

"**I'm not afraid of him, I'm not afraid of him." He kept whispering to himself. Ironically, he gulped nervously. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he called. "The act isn't working; I'm not gonna go away. You only intimidate me a tad bit, especially when you glare and don't smile. Which is always." **

**An awkward silence followed.**

"…**If you're upstairs, can you come down here? This is lame, I feel like I'm talking to air."**

**Groaning, I leaped off my bed and landed silently on the ground. I walked out of my room, grabbed the railing and said, "I think the air has more interest in what you want to say than I do." Stiles turned around spastically, looking up at me with wide eyes. I jumped over the upstairs railing, shifted into wolf form in mid-air, landing with a loud 'thud' as I hit the ground right beside him, baring my teeth. **

**Not such a graceful landing. **

**Oh well, the kid wanted to help Scott and me? He needed to become more comfortable with werewolf behavior. …This was all for his benefit, of course. **

"**Jesus, Derek!" he yelled, clutching his heart. He backed away 'til he was pressed flat up against the front door. I shifted back to human form and stared at him, expectantly. **

**After seeing the lack of fur on my face, he sighed with relief and placed his hands on his knees. **

"**That's twice in like three days! I am NOT gonna die from a heart attack , nuh-uh. It's gotta be something noble and valiant. If you ever want visitors again, you're gonna have to stop doing that." **

**I remained emotionless. "Then I'll make sure to keep doing it." **

**I didn't really mean to be so hostile. Stiles was helpful with the werewolf stuff, but other than that, he was exceedingly annoying and never stopped talking. Also, I didn't like visitors, because their reactions were always the same upon seeing the inside of my house; fear, discomfort...pity.**

**Stiles rolled his eyes. "Oh thanks. That was really nice. And why the hell can't you just approach people the normal way?" **

"**Because I'm a werewolf, and everything about me screams, 'Abnormal'. …Kind of like you at your high school. Why did you come here?" **

"**First of all, the remark was cruel and unnecessary. I should have you know that some people seem to think I got into a legit fight 'cuz of the cuts and bruises, and they almost respect me! No one's called me a loser for two days straight, now. Well, not to my face at least. But that's a whole other story that I don't really feel like getting into right now."**

**I almost felt sorry for the kid. **

**Then he looked over across the room into the mirror, touching the bruise on his jaw that he received two days ago gingerly and said with a high-pitched voice, "I actually look so cool like this!" **

…**Almost. "Anyways, what was I saying?" He was still admiring his face in the reflection. **

"**I don't care." I replied, which was the truth, seeing as it made me very uncomfortable to have people inside my house. Plus, have I mentioned that Stiles is exceptionally annoying?**

**But then he remembered. "Oh right. Second, this house is even creepier than I originally thought. You should seriously check into getting an exterminator." **

**He shuddered at the sight of a miniscule spider on the ceiling and took a step back. What a girl. "Thirdly, you should appreciate just how scary the forest leading to your house is. I had to drive here all alone and it was kinda like being a paranoid schizophrenic for 20 minutes; my head was whipping back and forth looking out for a hungry wolf, or a skunk…that's some terrifying stuff." He finally closed his mouth and said nothing further. **

"…**Just tell me why you're here or get out of my house." **

"**Hey now. That was rude. There's this new thing called 'manners'. Well I guess it'd actually be, 'there's these new things called -'" **

"**Which part of, 'I could kill you right now, if I really wanted to.' did you not understand?"**

**Stiles looked genuinely confused. "I don't remember you saying-" but he stopped at the expression on my face, which must have been a threatening one. **

"**Okay, okay, I get the message!" he raised his hands and took a step away from me. "Jeez, calm your face." **

**As I folded my arms, contemplating whether or not I should toss him from my house just for that, he took a deep breath and began. "I'm here to suggest that you take yourself to the doctor, because I was reading that lots of people get internal bleeding after sustaining an injury and don't even know about it. You probably won't listen seeing as you like to fend for yourself most of the time, but I felt it was my duty to tell you, because if you hadn't come along to absolutely destroy those guys," his face lit up, as if he was remembering something really exciting. "they would've killed me." And his face dropped. "So the least I could do was warn you, even if you don't take my advice, since I'm the reason you got hurt. And if you died from internal bleeding, I would somehow get pinned for it. So yeah."**

"**I didn't get hurt. I held my ground perfectly fine and sustained a black eye. I've had worse injuries."**

**I guess I shouldn't have said that.**

"**Really? Like what? I bet it was something cool while you were on the run from hunters. Or maybe you smashed into a tree while in wolf form because you were looking behind you and didn't see it! Sounds like something I would do…" **

**I grabbed the back of his jacket and dragged him to the door. He barely even stopped for a breath.**

"**Was it when you were bitten? Like, did you get a permanent scar or mark? No, it was probably while doing something dangerous and reckless before you became a wolf. Wait, when did you become a wolf? 12? 15? That's weird, to think of you as a kid. Some people just seem like they were born as adults; never had a childhood." I yanked open the door and pushed him roughly outside. "Or were you talking about internal injuries?" He looked curiously up at me, his voice somehow less annoying. He honestly wanted an answer this time, instead of just rambling off his big mouth for no reason.**

**I wasn't about to give him one.**

"**Go home, Stiles." I had my hand on the inside doorknob, ready to slam it in his face if he started talking again.**

"**Wait, I'm sorry. For all the questions. I guess you really aren't much of a talker, eh?"**

**I said nothing, and the irony made him grin. "Okay, just tell me how I can make it up to you. You saved my life, I mean, so I'm kinda in your debt."**

**I didn't waste any time. "I know what you can do that will settle the debt right now: Go away and don't tell anyone about what I did the other night."**

**He opened his eyes in mock shock. "Heaven forbid someone find out that you actually did something nice for someone!" **

"**Okay, I'll tell you what's going to happen: I'm going to close this door in your face, you're going to drive home, and you're never come back here again. Get it? Got it? Good."**

**SLAM. **

**I didn't even wait to see him open his mouth for a response. I turned around, killed that miniscule spider on the ceiling, and went back up stairs. **

**The silence sounded amazing. **

**I guessed it was fair that the kid was worried about my health, seeing as he was the one who unintentionally caused it. But Stiles wouldn't understand that a guy who works out every day doesn't react to injuries as pathetically as someone like him would. And besides, the only thing I did get was a black eye. Nobody goes to the doctor's for a black eye. Stiles, on the other hand, had cracked ribs, a dislocated jaw and a concussion. That is a good time to see the doctor. **

**Deep down, I know I saved his life. I'm all too familiar with what hunters are capable of, and it isn't pretty. It also felt good knowing I had saved an innocent life that night. **

…**But I am not one to talk about feelings, so let's all move on with our lives.**

**Stiles and Scott were both safe, and not out risking their lives somewhere.**

**I actually liked how the black eye made me look (although I'd eat my right arm off before admitting that to Stiles, or anyone else, for that matter)**

**I was finally alone in my house, with no annoying teenagers to disturb me.**

**I was in a good mood.**

**But I, better than anyone, should know that something always comes and screws anything awesome up.**


	4. Completely Unlucky

Completely Unlucky

Disclaimer - I own nothing, blah blah blah.

**DEREK'S P.O.V.**

It was the day after the incident at the school parking lot.

Whether it was doing research, working out, protecting Scott and Stiles or taking care of myself, I usually managed to occupy my time fairly well. Tonight, however, I just couldn't think of something to do. It was 8 p.m., and already dark. Looking out the window, I thought that the fresh air looked inviting so I decided to go for a run in the woods. I hadn't done that for…a whole day now.

My memory flashed back to the look on Stiles' face when he found out that I sometimes go for runs in the forest after dark, and I grinned. Pulling on my shoes, I stepped outside and took a deep breath.

I smelled the pine trees, damp air, dew on the grass and several types of flowers. Nature is underrated, I thought briefly, before jumping off my porch and jogging off into the trees.

The run felt good. My lungs filled with fresh, damp air. The trees were a blurred mass of dark green as I sped past them, and the animals in the forest didn't scatter when I passed, smelling the wolf in me. I pushed myself to go faster and faster, so I would be exhausted when I got home and could sleep instead of searching for other things to do.

Finally, after about 30 minutes of straight sprinting in a wide loop, I saw my house in the clearing. Panting slightly, I walked past the final tree before my house but stopped, sensing danger.

There was no sign of a vehicle, but I could hear four heartbeats other than mine, located inside my house.

I pressed flat against the back of the tree and peered around it slowly. I shifted so that my senses would be even more heightened, as well as the fact that I fought better as a wolf.

There was a dark figures moving in the window. I could sense their caution; smell anger and determination; hear talking.

It was Kate and three other hunters.

Fantastic. I guess that they didn't take into account that I might prefer privacy and silence when I try to fall asleep, and that it might be difficult to achieve that while they were all there…trying to kill me.

"If he's not here, you three will stake the place out until he comes back, understand?" Kate's falsely sweet voice carried through the air. I heard the three men grunt gruffly in response. "Now, let's check upstairs to make sure little Derek isn't hiding somewhere." I growled at the demeaning remark.

The sound of footsteps on the staircase traveled to where I was positioned, and I took what might have been my only opportunity. There was no window facing this side of the forest from my upper level. I ran soundlessly across the clearing and stopped at the side of my house, listening.

Things were being thrown across rooms, in search of me or perhaps for fun, I didn't really know. Hinges squeaked as the doors leading to rooms I rarely go into were thrown open and the rooms torn apart. I cringed slightly as I heard a loud smash from one of the rooms; probably an antique vase, or perhaps my TV.

Either way, it pissed me off.

I jumped up to the front porch and approached to door. I opened it quietly, doubting I would even be heard amidst the thumping and smashing coming from upstairs. I didn't risk closing it behind me, but rather hid in its shadow. My mind was racing with the many ways I could deal with these assholes, and the probabilities of outcomes where I turned up alive.

Maybe I had been focusing too hard on my thoughts because all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a blast of pain shot through my entire body. I almost fell to my knees with agony, but forced myself to remain standing. The electricity left quickly, and I ascertained it came from the living room. Inwardly swearing for allowing my guard to be let down so quickly, I shook off the last feelings of shock and pain and ran the other way, through the kitchen, before he could strike again.

I slowly approached the opposite entrance to the living room, when I heard feet thumping upstairs; Kate and the other two men must have heard the loud sizzling noise that the gun had made.

Seeing the man's vulnerable back, I once again grasped my opportunity and jumped on him from behind, tackling him to the floor. I wrestled his gun from his grasp and threw it out the window forcefully, sending glass everywhere. I punched his unsuspecting face and slammed his head against the wooden floor, rendering him unconscious. Tossing him aside, I prepared myself for a bit of a chase.

Right as I jumped through the broken window, volts of electricity were sent up and down my spine. The pain was almost unbearable; I writhed and twisted in mid-air, and landed roughly on the hard ground. The pain of my unexpected landing left my body quickly, but the shocks traveling through me were still excruciating. Unwillingly, I shifted back to human form where I lay. The volts left momentarily, but I foreboded that they would return soon enough.

Barely able to open my eyes, I heard rather than saw Kate and two men behind her walking towards me. Judging by the fact that I couldn't smell any blood off them, they had chosen to use the front door, rather than rip and tear their skin with the remaining shards of glass sticking up all around the window, like I had done. Suddenly I realized that I was bleeding from the cuts and glass all over me, and the pain from those injuries hit me as well, unwelcome.

Oh well. They would heal soon enough. And if I had used the front door, I would've been right in their lines of sight and I'd most likely be dead by now.

Then again, this was the Argent family. I had escaped their wrath before, and they were bound to be annoyed by now. Maybe death was better than what they had planned for me.

I drove my mind away from those thoughts and forced myself to focus on the present.

Kate came and stood in front of me, looking down. Using most of my remaining strength, I pushed my upper torso off the ground with one elbow to look up at her fiercely. Also so that I was in a slightly less vulnerable position.

"Poor, poor Derek. Thought he could get rid of us and just, move on with his life. Well, not this time, kiddo. It's about time we got a hold of you. We need to ask you some questions, and get some answers." The two men dragged me off the ground by my arms and held me at eye level with Kate, chuckling stupidly.

Coming right up to my face, she cupped my chin with her hand and examined me. "You always looked the most attractive when you were angry." I snarled at her and tried to tear my face away from her humiliating grasp.

"But lose the attitude, it's twisting your face a little bit." She swiftly turned around and snapped her fingers at her men, walking away.

I opened my mouth to call out a retort but found that I couldn't come up with anything satisfying enough, so I settled for elbowing the guy on my right in the face. He let go of my arm so he could cup the blood flowing from his (judging by the 'crack' I heard) broken nose, so I used my now freed arm to swing around and punch the other guy in the gut before he even realized what was happening. He, too, let go of me and stumbled backwards. I grabbed one guy and rammed him into the head of the other one; there was a loud 'bonk' and both men fell backwards onto the ground.

Before I could even look at Kate to decide which way was best to attack her, I received another dose of the electric gun and fell to my knees. Writhing in pain, I used my elbows to push myself backwards, as far away from her as possible."Tsk, tsk." Kate mocked as she lowered her gun and walked towards me. "Naughty boy." She placed her boot on my chest and I cringed in disgust. Looking anywhere but at her dominant expression, I noticed that even in my weak state I had managed to knock both of her partners unconscious. At least that meant that if I regained enough strength, there was only one person left to eliminate. "You know, I didn't really appreciate you knocking my guys out. They come in handy sometimes."

I smiled, glad that I had managed to upset her somehow. "Well they were being sort of hostile. And that's how I repay hostility." I croaked.

She leaned forward, adding pressure to my chest and whispered, "They wouldn't have to be so hostile if you'd just cooperated, Derek. Just tell me who the Alpha and second Beta are."

"When hell freezes over." I spat.

"Derek, Derek, Derek," she sighed. "When are you gonna get it? All you have to do is answer the questions and things turn out fine for you! If you don't, however, you will get hurt. And you know how much I hate to see you hurt." Her smug expression changed into puppy dog eyes and pouted lips. It made me want to throw up.

Then she seemed to rethink what she had said. "Who am I kidding, I love it!" She laughed derisively and took her cell phone out of her pocket. "Just tell me who they are, Derek, or things are gonna get ugly." I remained silent, but was swearing at Kate profusely in my head. "Okay, if you're gonna be an uncooperative little baby, we're going to have to try something else."

I closed my eyes and imagined that I wasn't in this situation; that I was still running through the woods, carefree and out of danger.

She took her foot off of me and dialed some numbers on her cell phone. I opened my eyes and saw that her gun was still aimed at my stomach. And she never took her eyes off of me.

"Hi Chris! How's it going?" She spoke cheerfully into the receiver. "Listen, I've got good news and bad news. Good news is, I have successfully captured the infamous Derek Hale. We are going to get him to cooperate and answer our questions, no matter what it takes." At this she flashed an evil grin. Anger boiled inside of me. "Yes, it was fun. I'll tell you everything later. Bad news is, he's been stubborn and has incapacitated all three of my guys, so I need a little help getting him to a proper interrogation area." Kate listened to his response and replied. "No, I don't mind staying with little Derek." She winked at me, increasing my anger and I growled, seemingly increasing her pleasure. "We're just outside his atrocity of a house." Another pause, as I worked extremely hard to lose my semi-calm. "Perfect, you're such a good brother. See you then!" She hung up and put her phone away.

"And now we wait." Kate grinned at me with raised eyebrows.

Not knowing what she had in mind, I took a deep, calming breath and wished more than ever that I hadn't allowed myself to get into this frickin' situation.


	5. Semi Lucky

Sort Of Handy  
>AN – Yes…after four months of procrastination and forgetfulness, the last chapter is finally here. I apologize for my extreme lateness, but all the same hope you enjoy it immensely! Reviews are always welcome, positive and negative alike.

Disclaimer - I own nothing, blah blah blah.

SCOTT'S P.O.V.

We were playing the final 3 minutes of our lacrosse game, and I could think of nothing else at that moment. Not hatred for Jackson, not all the chemistry homework I had to catch up on, not even Allison, even though she was in the stands watching with her Dad. Just lacrosse.  
>90 seconds.<br>We were up 8-7, and this team was full of jerks. It would be so satisfying to win. Stiles was playing first line, and he was the happiest I'd ever seen him in our sixteen years of friendship. He ran up the side line, ball in the net of his stick. Looking up at me, he passed and I caught it. I dodged an opponent and ran around him.

One minute.  
>I glanced up and saw Jackson, open, up ahead. Although I couldn't stand the guy, I passed to him anyway and ran further up. We were still relatively far from the opposing team's net; maybe I'd get the ball back and could pass to Stiles. It'd be his first goal of the season if he scored, having missed a few games because of his injuries. And even if he didn't score, it would waste valuable seconds for the opposition and we were already winning, so it wouldn't matter too much.<br>20 seconds.  
>Jackson took a long shot on net but it rebounded off the goal post. A defensive player on the other team picked up the ball and turned around. I ran as fast as I could and rammed into the guy with my shoulder. He stumbled backwards and dropped the ball. It rolled towards Stiles and he picked it up. Running towards to the net, he chucked it.<br>5 seconds.  
>It went in! Stiles dropped his stick in surprise, then turned to me as a huge, somewhat disbelieving grin spread on his face. The whistle blew, ending the game. Our team cheered and ran to congratulate him. I was so happy for Stiles. I ran with the rest of the team to cheer him on, when I saw Allison clapping and smiling in the stands. I smiled back and waved, but noticed that her Dad was not joining in the festivities. He was talking urgently into his phone beside the bleachers. And he looked…smug.<br>Wondering what could have a werewolf hunter feeling smug, I extended my hearing to focus on Argent so I could understand what he was saying.  
>"Do you mind waiting there for a bit? I need to figure out what to do with Allison."<br>Although it was more distant, I was almost positive that his sister Kate was on the other end. "No, I don't mind staying with our little wolf."  
>I dropped my jaw. Kate had Derek! How? Where? Was he still alive? If he was, how long was he going to stay that way? I kinda needed him alive to help me with the whole being-a-werewolf thing!<br>"Good. Where are you?"  
>"We're just outside his atrocity of a house." I didn't even bother to listen in on the rest of the conversation. I ran to Stiles, who was in the middle of a parade back to the change rooms.<br>"Stiles. Stiles!" I said seriously.  
>"Hey, what's going on?" He said with a smile and gave me a high-five, his voice high with excitement. "Did you see that goal, man? Ahhh, freaking awesome! My first game on first line, too!"<br>I was really happy for him and all, but he needed to help me with this right now. "Yeah, yeah, congrats, I'm proud of you. Now listen to me, Stiles. Kate - remember Kate, the sadistic werewolf hunter?" I pulled him aside and hushed my voice to ensure that we wouldn't be overheard. No one noticed in the current mayhem. "She has Derek. They're outside of his house right now, and Allison's dad is on his way with reinforcements so they can do God-knows-what to him!"  
>Stiles widened his eyes. "Wha-…wait, how do you know?"<br>"I overheard their phone conversation just now. Come on, we gotta go!" I pulled his arm and he followed. We sprinted to the jeep and jumped in. I had absolutely no clue exactly how we were gonna save Derek, and we only had so much time to think of a plan.

STILES' P.O.V.

"Now why is it that whenever something awesome happens to me, I don't get to celebrate because I'm off saving some werewolf's ass!" I said exasperatedly. I swerved out of the parking lot and into the forest path.  
>"I know, but just calm down for a minute. We need to formulate a plan. How are we going to save Derek? If we're lucky, we'll beat Argent and his back-up."<br>"Yeah, well, I'm the least lucky person in the world, so…. Oh, and what if Kate kills us before we can get to Derek? Or she captures us too? Wouldn't that just be peachy? Or what if-"  
>"Stiles! Shut up and focus!" Scott said<br>I mumbled angrily for a bit and then got over it.  
>"I'll turn into a wolf so I have a better chance against Kate and you….well, you just focus on getting Derek out of there and into the car. We don't know what kind of state he's in right now."<br>I gave him an affronted look. "Are you implying that I'm not capable of fighting a girl?"  
>"Okay, you can handle the crazy werewolf hunter, who has a gun, all by yourself, in the dark. How does that sound?"<br>"Well, when you put it that way…" I grumbled.  
>We drove through the dark trees with incredible speed. The thought of the ensuing adventure had me more nervous than excited, but the adrenaline pumped all the same. The clearing just came into view and I slowed to a stop so that Kate wouldn't hear the engine. We were still a safe, good 200 metres away from them.<br>We got out of the jeep without closing the doors, and slowly tip-toed up behind Derek's house.  
>Stealth approach.<br>We crouched down and carefully peered around the railing. There was Derek, laying on the ground and looking weak. It was too dark to see whether or not he was seriously injured, but he wasn't dead. That was good. We only knew because Kate was standing beside him, talking to him. She wouldn't talk to a dead person. Or maybe she would….the crazy bitch.  
>I pulled my head back and closed my eyes. "This is bad, this is bad, something's gonna go wrong and I'm too young to die." I whispered.<br>"Well if we don't do something, Derek's gonna die and then it's just me and the Alpha, so we have to help him!"  
>I took a deep breath. "Ok, I've got something, but it isn't great."<br>"Well it's all we've got right now, so let's have it."

DEREK'S P.O.V.

"Ugh, why isn't he here yet?" Kate whined. "I said I didn't mind waiting with you, but I didn't know you were gonna be so boring." She paced back and forth in front of me.  
>In my defence, I had tried to run for it several times, and once even tried to attack Kate from behind, but with each attempt she had noticed what was going on and had given me a dose of electricity, leaving me to writhe on the ground.<p>

I hardly believed that she found this whole situation "boring"; she actually seemed to be enjoying herself.  
>"If it's so boring to you…" I gasped angrily, the pain growing with each shock. "then just kill me already."<br>"Oh sweetie," she said, looking down at me and shaking her head. Her voice rung in the forest, emphasizing the falsely sweet tone she used. "I don't want to kill you. You're too gorgeous, it'd be such a waste! And I'm not a murderer. Well, not anymore, anyways." She giggled.  
>It sent me over the edge.<br>Using the last bits of energy, intensified by my anger, that I possessed I jumped from the ground and onto my feet. Kate took a step back in surprise but wasted no time in raising her gun and pointing it at my forehead. Barely dodging her shot, I ran around to her side and round-house kicked her in the back which sent her harshly to the ground. I reached for the gun to no avail; it had landed right beside Kate's arm after she had fallen. She grabbed it, turned onto her back, and using both hands, fired the gun at my stomach. Before I could register what she was about to do, I was blasted backwards and then fell over in agony. Tears stung my eyes as I twisted on the grass, but I refused to let them fall. Kate had already taken everything from me; I wasn't about to let her take my dignity as well.  
>She didn't ease up on the gun. Then black spots clouded my vision and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. At least it would make the pain would go away.<br>And it did. Very quickly. My body was numb, and the electricity had left. I wondered if I was dead.  
>Surely it wasn't this loud and cold in the afterlife?<br>I heard thumps and yells…it took everything I had left in me to stay awake. I kept my eyes shut and just tried to make out the sounds.  
>"It's just you and me now, Kate." Was that Scott's voice? There was a tearing noise and a thud. I figured Kate had been knocked to the ground, but I wasn't sure. I guess I was just hoping that she had.<br>There was a muffled, "Oh, crap, this is definitely not Derek." in the distance, and another thud.  
>Footsteps sounded closer to me. A voice very nearby said, "Oh, good.", and I immediately flinched, expecting pain.<br>What I felt, however, was only someone was tugging at my elbow. "Come on…move!" Someone grunted. It was a familiar voice, but I couldn't place a name to it. Whoever he was, hunter or not, I didn't care anymore. He was (slowly but surely) pulling me away from Kate.  
>"Help me out here, Derek, we…gotta…get…moving!"<br>I assumed he was not one of Argent's guys, but I didn't want to open my eyes, for fear of snapping out of this numbness and back to the torture.  
>I heard another grunt, and then my body stopped sliding on the ground. "You know what? Sometimes having too much muscle is a bad thing. Like when your friend has to drag your limp body across a big yard, for example."<br>Stiles. Definitely Stiles.  
>What the hell was going on?<br>Disregarding the dizziness, and letting my curiosity get the best of me, I opened my eyes and saw the blurred outline of Stiles in the darkness. Groggily, I yanked his arm off me and achingly stood up.  
>"Oh-thank-God." He held up a finger to me while he caught his breath. "It's not that I'm… too weak to pull you…or anything, it's just that this is much easier…for everyone." He took a deep, steadying breath and was finally able to speak properly. "You being able to walk, I mean. Oh and hey, I'm glad to see that you're still alive."<br>"Shut up." I mumbled, disregarding everything he had just said. "Where's Kate?" I guess I swayed where I stood (although I couldn't really see the ground due to my blurred vision and the darkness of the evening), because I felt Stiles' hands pushing into my shoulder, holding me upright. "Woah there, big guy. You okay?"  
>I wanted to yell in his face: "No, who would be okay after twenty minutes of electricity bolts shooting up and down his body, in the company of Kate Argent, callous werewolf hunter, demeaning and cruel, and then having to lie there, helplessly, while awaiting her brother and his back-up to torture you some more?", but I didn't want to waste my energy.<br>Stiles took my arm over his shoulder, grabbed my waist and helped me walk back to his jeep. I gritted my teeth partly in pain and the other part in frustration. In any other circumstance, I would have refused such help, but I was finding it difficult to stand straight on my own, let alone walk.  
>"Where's Kate?" I repeated. "Let me at her."<br>Stiles peered behind me. "Hm…I believe she is now unconscious. Yep, and Scott just moved her gun away from her and…ooh, kicked her in the gut. And I'm sorry, but as much as I would also like to "have at her", there's no time. We gotta get ourselves the heck outta here before Kate's little army shows up."  
>I mentally thanked Scott for doing the dirty work, although if I were in any right state to do it, I most certainly would have.<br>We reached the jeep and Stiles, struggling, used one arm to open the back door while I stumbled in. I vaguely wondered how Argent and his team were going to react when they arrived and found Kate knocked out, and no Derek. Frankly I was glad I wasn't going to be there to find out.  
>I didn't realize I was shaking until Stiles threw his jacket over me and said, "Yeah, I bet you're freezing. It feels like 1 degree out here." I tossed his jacket on the floor and grumbled, "'M fine."<br>There was a quiet, "Okay, tough guy…" and my door slammed.  
>Stiles went around and hopped in the front and I heard Scott slam the passenger's door, breathing heavily.<br>"Is he okay?" Scott said.  
>"Meh…" Stiles replied. "I'm sure he's had worse injuries."<br>Once again cursing myself for even mentioning that to Stiles, I tuned both of them out and just laid down, eyes closed.  
>The engine revved and we were driving away, far away from Kate. I allowed myself to relax; there would be no more shocks of electricity running through my body. Sure, I was still aching all over, but now I could just breathe and let my mind go blank, erasing the memories.<br>I caught parts of the conversation from the front seat, however, such as, "So…where are we gonna go with him?", and "He probably needs a doctor or something…" and "Derek? …Oh shit, what if he's dead? My dad will never forgive me if he finds out there was a dead body in my car!".  
>I rolled my eyes and mumbled from where I lay, "I'm not dead, you idiots. And I don't need a doctor. Just take me to one of your houses." I felt them share a glance, and after a moment Scott said, "Shotty not."<br>"Damnit! Why am I so slow on the uptake…." Stiles groaned.  
>I wisely chose to tune out the rest of their childish conversation, until we pulled into Stiles' driveway.<br>"If my dad ever finds out about this…."

After a shower, I felt much more relaxed and less sore. I went into Stiles' bedroom to tell him I was leaving and discovered him sleeping awkwardly on his desk chair, mouth open and snoring.  
>Charming.<br>I picked up a pillow from his bed and chucked it at his face. He shot awake and fell backwards off his chair. I grinned for what felt like the first time in a year.  
>"I'm leaving now. Just wanted to tell you so you wouldn't wake up and flip out because I was missing." Stiles slapped his cheek to try and wake himself up and grumbled, "I didn't appreciate the rude awakening just now…and wait, where are you headed? Are you planning to go back to your house?"<br>"Do I look like an idiot? I'm going to a place where they won't be able to find me…where no one will be able to find me. Buy myself some time to figure out how I'm gonna kick their asses."  
>"Ah. Well you'll be requiring my help, I assume. Considering I did such a good job saving your ass today."<br>"Oh please," I rolled my eyes. "you got lucky. If Chris and his men had already shown up, you would have been dead."  
>"So would you!"<br>I raised my eyebrows. "Point taken. My point, however, is that I do not need anyone's help. Are you forgetting all the times I've escaped hunters before this? Or when I busted up those guys for you in the school parking lot? And did you see the state of Kate's two guys earlier today? What I'm trying to say, is that I'd get a lot more done without having to make sure you don't do something incredibly stupid to get us both killed."  
>Stiles dropped his jaw in mock indignation, then closed it and raised his eyebrows. "Well, you know what? I'm not even offering my help anymore. As strange as this sounds, I don't actually enjoy taking on crazy ass werewolf hunters. …Okay, I know I never actually took any on, but I was pretty close to having to. Scott dealt with Kate and everything, and he did a pretty good job, but at any moment in these past two days I could have been the one! And I would have been awesome, naturally. They're just pansy hunter guys…I could have taken them…" he broke off, trying to convince himself more than me.<br>I stared at him. "Are you finished?"  
>Stiles replied, "No, I am not! You never even gave me a thank-you!"<br>"I don't thank people."  
>"I'm not included in 'people'. I am my own life form."<br>"That doesn't even make sense."  
>"Well you always go out of your way to comment on how I'm estranged from my classmates and have no friends so I figured that I should've pointed out to you that you should have decided beforehand whether or not you think I, Stiles, fit in with the general public -"<br>"Oh my God, if I thank you will you shut up?"  
>"Depends on how meaningful it is." He shrugged with a victorious grin and I clenched my fists.<br>"Thank you." I growled. He opened his mouth to say something; unable to stand the sound of his voice much longer, I continued. "I suppose I was…semi-lucky that you and Scott showed up tonight. If you hadn't, well…I probably could have taken them on my own." I shrugged one shoulder and Stiles rolled his eyes. "But…I'm grateful you guys came."  
>He seemed to be contemplating the level of meaningfulness in my words. "Alright, I'll take it. And hey, I guess I was semi-lucky the night you showed up and saved my ass, too."<br>"So we're equal now."  
>"Yeah, I guess. And hey, don't get yourself killed, wherever you are."<br>"Look who's talking! I'm surprised you're still alive, as reckless and clumsy as you are…You have Scott's back while I'm gone and he'll have yours, remember? And stay inside after nine o'clock. And don't even go into the forest. I'll be back in a few weeks. Got it?"  
>Stiles snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "Yes, Dad."<br>"I'm serious, Stilinski. If I come back to find one of you dead, I'll kill you."  
>And with that final statement to leave Stiles seemingly genuinely afraid, I jumped from his window and began to run.<br>You know what? Maybe I didn't dislike the kid as much as I thought. I actually felt like I would almost miss his sarcasm while I was gone.  
>"Good luck, Miguel!" Stiles called out the window.<br>…Almost.


End file.
